Using Ext Hard Drive for Bootable Back-Up

Factual Questions
1

Is there something special i need to do in order to make a fully bootable external hard drive? How do i make a proper copy of everything, i seem to recall just trying to do a simple copy of system files that are in use isn’t possible? A thread i found when i searched on the topic talked about using ‘duplicate’ command. How do i do that?

Can i boot from a usb drive anyway? I suppose i could just physically swap them if that’s an issue?

I’m thinking about doing a reformat and clean xp install due to the many issues i’ve been unable to resolve of recent. As i have a usb drive that is the same size as my main disc i figured maybe doing a full back-up and making it bootable would be the best way to go.

Also, i only have an upgrade disc but the upgrade licence is in use on another computer. I was planning to reuse the licence key on the sticker on my laptop (as this is the copy that i am reinstalling), however can i use that key with the upgrade disc?

Any advice appreciated.

PS - I’m not looking to buy any software for the task so if that’s required what’s the next best disaster recovery option if this all goes pear shaped?

2

First item: you need to check the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to see if you can boot from USB. Usually, you press F2 (or F12 or Delete) just after turning the computer on to “Enter Setup”, then find the “Boot Order” selection. Note that this must be done before the operating system begins loading. Second item: yes, you can physically swap them and then swap them back after installing the operating system (or not, as you wish). Again, the BIOS options control the boot order.

Since I’m a Linux guy, I won’t venture instructions about copying XP data (since I don’t want to risk inaccuracy that may hose your system). However:

You might download SystemRescueCD. It’s a Linux LiveCD (that is, you can boot and run the PC from the CD) that contains many, many tools and utilities for rescuing your system.